Oh How the Wind doth Blow!

  It is hard to characterize the Ozark Mountains, because I would never call them mountains. The area seems more like rolling hills. The Ozarks were an ancient Dome that uplifted back in PreCambrian times and have since eroded into rolling hills with outcroppings of limestone in level layers. There are mostly deciduous trees with a few cedar mixed in. 

  To characterize Branson is pretty difficult as it is a combination of a few places I have seen. Believe it or not, Sedona comes to mind, only forget the Red Sandstone and substitute layered limestone. Everything seems to be tucked down in below tree level until some crazy developer puts up a faux something. Then there is  the flavor of Gatlinburg TN and Pigeon Cove, TN, the home of Dolly Parton and her famous Dollyland. On top of that add a little bit of Las Vegas glitz (faux). At this point I would assign Branson as the billboard capital of the world. We saw two really entertaining and professional shows, fantastic costumes, and music. The lighting designers decided to throw in the kitchen sink of every different technique that the new colored movable lights afford. IE: Over the top.

  We made a three day push west through OK, Texas panhandle and NM. There was flat land slowly crossing the Central Plains and then the Great Plains where you can see for miles around for 360 degrees. Then the topography slowly started going up in elevation until we got up onto the Colorado Plateau. We transitioned from Humid subtropical climate in MO to the middle latitude steppes. So we progressed from the corn and winter wheat belt in MO to the semiarid grazing and irrigated crops region. Then the pace slowed considerably with less driving each day. This got us over 2000 miles in a short amount of time but broken down into to 300 mile days. No more Walmarts for a while but overnighted at State parks where for the hookups. The P;at eau is all either beef or horse farms with no irrigation or cultivation of crops.

  So gently climbed until reaching Gallup, NM ( on the AZ  line ) and crossed the Continental Divide at something like 7200 ft. We have had some really wild winds with dirt devils from Branson and across OK in the 90’s to 34 degrees with hail. The winds have just kept blowing since leaving Branson and there have been temps way below normal.  We landed in Page Az today where it was over 90 the last time I was here in May and it is only in the high 40’s.

  After Branson we landed at a lovely State Park called Red  Rock State Park in OK. The plains were flat and this park was hidden down in a canyon with high red sandstone walls. Then on to Santa Rosa State Park west of Tucumcari. After that a dreaded night at a Walmart in Gallup. There were numerous train tracks running thru the town but we didn’t know about the really big one across the street until the middle of the night. Never heard such a racket coming out of the blue in the middle of the night. We stayed in Gallup because we needed an oil change and I had to grocery shop. After Galllup it was a short ride up to Chinle where Canyon de Chelly is located. We arrived in time to take an afternoon tour of the Canyon. The tour by the Navajo guide takes a route that goes into and out of the Chinle River. The Navajo have lived in this Canyon for centuries and use it in the summer for herding and growing corn. The next day we took  a drive along the south rim in order to look down into the very impressive Canyon. We had a nice quiet campsite inside the Navajo Park down in a grove of cottonwood trees.

Then it was on to a quick tour up to 4 corners where AZ, NM, UT and CO all meet. Then we back tracked until we got to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. You are all familiar with the buttes that stand out above the landscape from the old western movies. I drove the 17 mile loop track that was one of the nastiest pieces of driving I have ever had to do. Took 2 hours. Needless to say it is an unimproved, dirt, stone track. But Tony had never been to the Valley so I wanted him to be able to photograph the buttes. There were sand dunes, low clouds, intermittent rain mixed with the dirt devils and sand blowing. We got the truck washed afterwards! We ate out that night in honor of Mothers Day, only the second night out the whole trip.

  We are in Page to do one of the Antelop Canyons and see Glen Canyon dam and visit my favorite trading post ( think turquoise). I have not written as often as I would have liked but often I couldn’t get  internet connection or we were just too tired at night to go to the wifi center at the campgrounds if they had wifi.

  My iPhone with 4g has been invaluable for directions, and information as we see things traveling along and want to know more about them. We have crossed at least 4 historic old cattle trails. The new GPS has a stiff learning curve but I will master it yet! Then there is the fact that Tony's sister introduced me to Candy Crush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I will go blind doing it on my iPhone.
  We have burned some oil unexpectedly but that has stopped. The hot water heater needed servicing and we took care of that and so we are progressing well and getting better at backing, driving and leveling. The trailer has performed well and we are pretty comfy. And to think I did some of this trip in a tent!!!! I guess we are in some funky weather system that might warm up or not, who knows! We take it slowly and average 50 mph. We stay in the slow lane and everybody passes us and we mind our own business. Going over 50-55 is OK but anything more and the wind from the passing trucks and RV's gives us a jolt.
I will now try to down load my cameras pictures and pick some out for you. they may end up being loaded straight into Facebook if I can't master this.
  Thanks for all your notes and comments of support and good cheer.